Village Ecotourism Development at Tekelan, Betung Kerihun National Park

Feasibility Study on
BetungKerihun
NationalPark-Indonesia
VillageEcotourism
Development
at Tekelan
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March 2015
ITTO PD 617/11 Rev.4 (F)
Promoting Biodiversity Conservation in Betung Kerihun National Park
(BKNP) as a Transboundary Ecosystem between Indonesia and state of
Sarawak, Malaysia (Phase III)
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Feasibility Study on
BetungKerihun
NationalPark-Indonesia
VillageEcotourism
Development
at Tekelan

Feasibility Study on Village Ecotourism Development at Tekelan,
Betung Kerihun National Park - Indonesia
Author:
Soehartini Sekartjakrarini
Ersto Bernanto
Ben Kristian Citto Laksana
Muhammad Wahyudi
Editor:
Yani Septiani
Dr. Hiras Sidabutar
ISBN: 978-602-0858-02-9
© 2015 ITTO PD 617/11
All rights reserved
It is prohibited to reproduce all or part of this book, in the form of photocopy,
print, microfilm, electronic media or any other form, except for education or other
non-commercial purposes by including the following sources:
Sekartjakrarini, S., Bernanto, E., Laksana B.K.C., and Wahyudi, M., 2015.
Feasibility Study on Village Ecotourism Development at Tekelan, Betung Kerihun
National Park - Indonesia. ITTO PD 617/11 (F) Rev. 4.
Design and Layout:
Soehartini Sekartjakrarini
Photos:
Ben Kristian Citto Laksana
Project Number:
ITTO PD 617/11 (F) Rev. 4
Host Government:
Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Republic of Indonesia
Published by:
ITTO – International Tropical Timber Organization
Jakarta, March 2015

Preface
Betung Kerihun National Park (BKNP) is the
largest conservation area in West Kalimantan.
BKNP direct border with Sarawak Malaysia, and
became Cross Conservation Area along with
Lanjak Entimau Wild Life Sanctuary (Lews)
and Batai Ai National Park (BANP) in Sarawak,
Malaysia. Ecotourism development in BKNP
is one of the important activities to support the
development of border ecosystem management
(Transboundary ecosystem). This report is
developed on long process through a review
team , discussion with foresters and experts in
the field.
The ITTO PD 617/11 would like to express
high appreciation to all parties particularly
to author ; Dr. Soehatini Sekartjakrarini (ibu
Tinuk), Director of BKNP and his team, ITTO
Project PD 617/11 team; Dr Hiras Sidabutar
(Advisor), Lelly Ekasari and Merdiani Aghnia,
who have given worthwhile assistance in
conducting this analysis and made this
assessment possible. Furthermore, I hope the
analysis and recommendations would be useful
to enrich idea and views on the implementation
ecotourism development in National Park in
Indonesia.
Jakarta, March 2015
Yani Septiani
Coordinator of ITTO PD 617/11

Preface................................................................iii
List of Contents.................................................. v
List of Tables.....................................................vi
List of Figures...................................................vii
List of Abbreviation..................................... viii
Chapter 1 The Introduction............................1
Chapter 2 Methodology...................................5
2.1 The Data Collection...................................7
2.2 The Data Analysis......................................7
2.3 The Eco-tourism Concept and Principles..9
2.4 Flow Chart of the Study ......................... 11
Chapter 3 The State of Ecotourism
Development in Indonesia’s
National Parks............................... 13
3.1 The Policy................................................ 15
3.2 The Management.................................... 16
3.3 The Challenges........................................ 20
Chapter 4 The Betung Kerihun National
Park..................................................23
4.1 The Landscape and the Tourism
Potential.................................................. 25
4.2 The Management.................................... 27
Chapter 5 The Village and The Site of
Tekelan............................................ 31
5.1 The Tourism Attraction........................... 33
5.2 Accessibility ............................................ 39
5.3 The Tourism Facilities............................. 41
5.4 The Local Communities and their
Environment........................................... 44
Chapter 6 Conclusion......................................47
6.1 Conservation........................................... 50
6.2 Participation............................................ 51
6.3 Education and Recreation....................... 51
6.4 Economy.................................................. 52
6.5 Control ................................................... 52
References.........................................................53
List of Contents

List of Tables
1. The Availability of Plans and Permits
in Indonesia’s National Parks................... 17
2. The Development of Tourism in
relations with the Natural Resources........ 26
3. The Development of Tourism in
relations with the Cultural Resources. ..... 27

1. The Location of the Tourism Village of
Menua Sadap........................................... 33
2. An image layout of the location of
tourism attractions within and around
the Tekelan Site....................................... 35
3. Sceneries from the expedition
throughout the Embaloh River, among
others: Karangan Laboh.......................... 36
4. Dense tree canopies, nesting grounds
for the orang utan.................................... 36
5. Unique rock formations heading and
within the Tekelan site............................ 37
6. Traditional motif hand weaving.............. 38
7. Accessories made from beads.................. 38
8. A part of the ‘Gawai’ traditional
ceremony ................................................ 39
9. Traditional Handmade Bemban Mats.... 39
10. The road from Puttussibau heading to
the village of Menua Sadap and the
Embaloh River heading to the Tekelan
Site........................................................... 40
11. Steigher or the speedboat at the Hamlet
of Sadap................................................... 41
12. The docking area of the speedboat at
the Tekelan site........................................ 41
13. The camping grounds covered by
overgrown wild bushes............................ 42
14. The condition of the camping grounds
taken in 2010.......................................... 42
15. Toilet and cooking facilities..................... 43
16. Home-stay that is managed by the
Head of the Eco-tourism Organization
in the Hamlet Sadap and a House of
Souvenirs supported byWWF................ 43
17. The damaged pumps received from
GTZ, Germany........................................ 44
18. The learning atmosphere of the children
learning English in the library................. 45
List of Figures

List of Abbreviation
BANP : Batang Ai National Park
BKNP : Betung Kerihun National Park
DSNP : Danau Sentarum National Park
GIZ : Gesellschaft fur Internationale
Zusammenarbeit
HoB : Heart of Borneo
ITTO : International Tropical Timber
Organization
LEWS : Lanjak EntimauWildlife Sanctuary
MP : Management Plan
SP : Site Plan
TARA : Tourism Attraction Rapid Assessment
TBCA : Transboundary Conservation Areas
TMP : Tourism Master Plan
WWF : WorldWildlife Fund

Tekelan is a site within the utilization zone
of Betung Kerihun National Park located at
Embaloh’s 7,170 ha watershed area. Betung
Kerihun National Park is part of the largest
and richest biodiversity conservation area
located within the ‘Heart of Borneo’. Tekelan
not only offers physical and biological attraction
and provides lessons for visitors, but it is also
able to provide a more wholesome cultural
experience by interacting with the people living
within the area. It is the Dayak people who live
in the village of Sadap; the last village before
heading to Tekelan that is expected to be able
to convey this experience and at the same time
gains a balanced advantage from the eco-tourism
development of the Tekelan site.
This study was conducted to provide
recommendations regarding strategies to:
1. Establish cooperation between the
stakeholders involved in developing an
eco-tourism in Tekelan. This is intended
for the purpose of presenting an example
of developing a tourism site within the
national park’s utilization zone and to
develop training for that development.
2. Develop a site plan and management of
developing eco-tourism in Tekelan which
in turn gives economic and social benefits to
the community of the hamlet of Sadap and
the surrounding village while maintaining
the function of the area to protect the area
and preserve its’ biodiversity.
Efforts have been made by the management of
the Betung Kerihun National Park and national
and international institutions to develop the
community within the villages around Tekelan.
Although national policies and regulations for
utilizing the protected areas for tourism has been
renewed and operational guidelines have been
formed, but it hasn’t been entirely applied in the
field. From year to year Tekelan has seen an
increase in visitors, the increase in the amount
of benefits received by the community in the
surrounding area hasn’t been much felt.
This report identifies the opportunities and
limitations or hindrances faced by Tekelan in
presenting its potential tourism attractions to
visitors if the site were to be developed into an
‘eco-tourism village’. The five criterias for eco-
tourism, namely conservation, participation,
education and recreation, economy and control,
used in this study to identify the challenges and
expectations of the people around Tekelan.
The results of this analysis using the ‘Rapid
Tourism Potential and Development’ method
and interviews with the community leaders
and rural villages around Tekelan concluded
recommendations and steps for managing the
Betung Kerihun National Park and other relevant
stakeholders, especially the local government,
in its efforts to develop eco-tourism in Tekelan
and provide economic and social benefits for the
surrounding community, particularly the nearby
hamlet of Sadap.
In regards to conservation, the study
recommends limiting changing the landscape of
Tekelan on ‘acceptable limits’ by formulating the
development and implementation of tourism
in an ‘environmentally sustainable plan for
tourism’. The plan must have a physical, social,
cultural and economic dimension as a whole and
integrated with other plans and regulations in
the conservation area, in particular the Betung
Kerihun National Park. With the confusion in
regards to the Tekelan site, the management
should ensure the clarity of the physical limits
within area that may be used by the community
and provide detailed guidance of the area that
can be utilized.
Executive Abstract

The management should also provide
guidelines for the physical buildings intended for
the services of the visitors, especially the shape
or design, size and materials used (eco-design
technology). The study views that Tekelan should
entirely be made into a ‘public area’ as stated
within Director General’s Regulations of Forest
Protection and Nature Conservation No. P.3 /
IV-SET / 2011 on Guidelines for Preparation
of Tourism Management Site Design inWildlife
Sanctuaries, National Parks, Forest Parks and
Natural Tourism Parks.
In regards to the public participation around
Tekelan, the study recommends to identify
tourism activities in both direct and support
services as well as jobs for the community.
People’s desire to gain access to tourism resources
must be accommodated by the management of
Betung Kerihun National Park by formulating
methods for business opportunities and methods
of incentives for people who are venturing in
tourism activities. The proposal that has been
initiated to develop Village Regulations needs
to be immediately realized and fully supported
by the management of Betung Kerihun National
Park by being in accordance with the regulations
that have been set for the national park.
In regards to education and recreation, the
study recommends the management of Betung
Kerihun National Park together with the local
community to explore the local natural and
cultural values as much as possible in order
to raise Tekelan’s characteristics and natural
diversity and local culture, in particular the
hamlet of Sadap. Themes of products from
Tekelan needs to be formulated and given an
‘interpretation’ of each product that will be
presented, promoted and marketed to be used
as a means of ‘learning’ for visitors. The study
of Betung Kerihun National Park’s biodiversity
held in conjunction with this study can be
used as a main reference point for determining
the theme of Tekelan’s products. In order to
achieve sustained and improved services by the
community, the necessary training by experts
to improve the quality of their products (e.g.,
the design of the woven fabrics) and competence
of their tourism services especially the attitudes
and behaviors towards visitors is very much
needed. Including the cleanliness, comfort and
safety of the tourist attractions, heading towards
the area and during the stay within the area.
In regards to tangible economic benefits
that will be obtained by the local community
and the area from the development of eco-
tourism in Tekelan, the study recommends the
management to accelerate the development of
the Tekelan site through cooperation with the
broader market, as they are the tour regulators
at the national and international level. As part of
the largest and richest biodiversity of the ‘Heart
of Borneo’, a name that is better known at the
international level, the management together
with the local government can take advantage
of the name to lift and market Tekelan’s existing
products. By entering national and international
tourism fairs more frequently and more focused,
the community and the management may be
more motivated to improve and enhance their
products. Village legislations which will be
implemented in 2015 is expected to also be a
means of the management of BKNP to assist the
local government to evaluate and determine the
priority of realizing the accelerated development
of the local villages that supports increasing
commerce of the tourism services. On top of all
the recommendations related to the economy,
the opening of immigration offices at the borders
will open much larger markets and eases visitors
from Malaysia, particularly from the states of
Sarawak and Sabah to visit Tekelan.
In regards to the restrictions that must
be done by the management team towards
the development of ‘village eco-tourism
development in Tekelan’, the study recommends
to have management focus in anticipating
negative impacts arising from a whole series
of tourism activities leading to and during the
Feasibility Study on Village Ecotourism Development at Tekelan, Betung Kerihun National Park - Indonesiax

activities in Tekelan. For this the management is
suggested to formulate the ‘acceptable limits’ of
each activity and the implementation of tourism
development in the region which includes:
setting the methods and structure of the
utilization area intended for tourism activities
and guide the development and design of
facilities and infrastructure supporting tourism
activities in Tekelan.
The management along with the community
is also expected to create a code of ethics for
activities in protected areas and establish
institutional supervision of Tekelan’s tourism
activities that consist of elements from the
village government, market participants, local
communities and experts including academics.
In addition to supervising, the institution also
conducts monitoring on an on-going basis
and learns to take note of every progress and
problems for feedback in implementing a
more suitable eco-tourism. The society should
be given a correct understanding that Tekelan
is part of a conservation area that is, Betung
Kerihun National Park.
xiExecutive Abstract

This report is the follow-up of the ITTO
Project 26/93 originally titled “Development
of Bentuang Karimun Nature Reserve
as a National Park, Phase I”, which was
implemented from 1995 to 1999, and was
continued with improvements during Phase 2,
titled “Implementation of a Community-Based
Transboundary Management Plan for the Betung
Kerihun National Park, West Kalimantan,
Indonesia.” Although some progress had been
made through the previous project, the Betung
Kerihun National Park management as a Trans
Boundary Conservation Area is still facing
several challenges. Therefore a back up support
for the project phase III is necessary considering
the conservation issues against the socio
economic development in Transboundary area.
The aim of the ITTO project PD 617/11 is to
strengthen a process of sustainable conservation
management of Betung Kerihun National Park
(BKNP) as the Transboundary ecosystem
between Indonesia and Malaysia (Sarawak). The
proposed strategies and activities outlined in
this proposal are in line with the Transboundary
Conservation Areas (TBCA) Cooperation with
Lanjak EntimauWildlife Sanctuary (LEWS) and
Batang Ai National Park (BANP) in Sarawak
sites.
The one of expected outputs of the project
is: an improvement of sustainable livelihood of
the local communities within and surrounding
BKNP. It will be achieved, among others, by
developing a community-based ecotourism
programme at the trans-boundary ecosystem. It
is expected that the result of the study will be able
to provide the preliminary information related to
community-based ecotourism programme at the
trans-boundary ecosystem in order to improve
sustainable livelihood of the local communities
within and surrounding BKNP.
This study is to carry out a feasibility study
on village eco-tourism development at Tekelan
areas, an area in the west part of BKNP and lies
on one of the six utilization zones of the national
park. The result of the study is expected to
provide ways for benefiting communities around
Tekelan areas supported by BKNP management
and local government of Kapuas Hulu together
with their partners. The study includes:
1. Review and analyze the existing studies /
assessment related to ecotourism in Tekelan
area.
2. A feasibility study on village eco-tourism
business development at Tekelan areas.
3. Findings of the study that should be
presented to technical meeting (s) and
regional workshop to be organized by the
project.
4. A scenario to assist an establishment
of village cooperatives for eco-tourism
development for purpose of demonstration
and training.
5. Recommendations needed for village eco-
tourism development in Tekelan area.
Tekelan area is without doubt one of the most
beautiful site and richest of biodiversity in
the utilization zone Embaloh. Not only the
ITTO has gone with studies to improve the
livelihood of local communities surrounding
the area, but also many organizations have given
contributions to uplift the benefit of the area for
these communities. Yet, this report attempts to
identify issues that are typical not only for the
development of tourism in the area, but also in
the Indonesia conservation areas as well.
This report consists of five parts. The first part
provides the state of eco-tourism development
in Indonesia National Park that would be the
basic and also the challenges for eco-tourism
development in Betung Kerihun National Park
and respectively, the Tekelan areas. For that
reasons, policy of tourism development in
conservation areas that have been developed
lately and their current management are
presented to provide insight on how the policy
are implemented and affected the development
of tourism in Indonesia conservation areas. The
second part presents the landscape and tourism
3The Introduction

potential of Betung Kerihun National Park and
giving the general pictures of the management
of its potentials. The physical beauty of Tekelan
area and the attractive culture of communities
surrounding the area are presented in the third
part. The fourth part discusses the definition
of eco-tourism and the methodology used to
explore the challenges and hopes of communities
towards the development of Tekelan area
through eco-tourism. The last part presents a
number of recommendations and steps needed
to develop eco-tourism at the Tekelan site.
Feasibility Study on Village Ecotourism Development at Tekelan, Betung Kerihun National Park - Indonesia4

This study uses particular methods in the
process of collecting analyzing data.
2.1 The Data Collection
In collecting the data, this study uses 2 (two)
methods, that is through desk and field survey.
2.1.1 Desk Survey
The data collected through this method is
intended to summarize the activities that have
been conducted by a number of stakeholders
involved in the tourism management and the
development within Betung Kerihun National
Park, especially in the Tekelan site. The data
consists of reports related to Betung Kerihun
National Park and also the Management Plan
of the region that has been prepared for the
timeframe of 2000 – 2024. Included in the
pan is the Site Plan that is the Book III from
the Management Plan, which consists of three
books. Data collection from the desk survey
has helped identify the issues in the consulting
process of formulating recommendations of
the steps that needs to be undertaken next by
the stakeholders in developing eco-tourism in
Tekelan.
2.1.2 Field Survey
The data collected through field visits was
conducted through interviews and assessment
using the Tourism Attraction Rapid Assessment
Guide for identifying landscape characters
and elements that has an effect towards the
development of eco-tourism in the Tekelan site.
Interviews and discussions was conducted the
stakeholders involved, including among others
the Head of National Parks Region I in Mataso,
Village Chief of Menua Sadap, Hamlet Chief of
Sadap, Head of the Eco-Tourism Community in
Sadap, National Park Rangers, the residents of
Sadap and the previous Head of Betung Kerihun
National Park. Interviews were also conducted
towards the NGOs that have done activities
involving the residents of Sadap and the areas
around the Tekelan site.
In the field trips conducted on 3 – 7 June
2014, other than directly visiting the villages
within the Tekelan site, we also visited a Dayak
traditional ceremony known as ‘Gawai’, a
traditional ceremony conducted as a form of
giving thank for the good harvest in the village of
Menua Sadap.We also visited Danau Sentarum
National Park to conduct relationship studies
of the development of eco-tourism in Tekelan
with the similar activities in Danau Sentarum
National Park.
2.1.3 Areas of Study
The areas of study are the village nearest to
the Tekelan River that is the Village of Menua
Sadap, which consists of the Hamlet of Sadap,
the Hamlet of Kelayam and the Hamlet of
Karangbunut. From these three hamlets the
study is focused towards the Hamlet of Sadap,
the most eastern village and the village nearest
the upstream of the Embaloh River before
heading down to Tekelan River and it is also
heavily entwined with the development of
eco-tourism in Tekelan. The area of study also
incorporates the areas along the Embaloh River
from the hamlet of Sadap heading to Tekelan
and the Tekelan River.
Tekelan as defined in this study is the site
located within the utilization zone of Betung
Kerihun National Park, the Sababai Resort and a
partial part of the Sadap Resort. The boundaries
of the site for the study cannot be fully found
in the field, due to the lack of clarity of the
utilization one and or the wilderness zone.
2.2 The Data Analysis
By using the Tourism Attraction Rapid
Assessment (TARA), the elements that impacts
the development of eco-tourism in the Tekelan
site is analyzed in order to obtain a picture or
an idea of the elements that has potential and
7Methodology

the elements that limits the developments of
eco-tourism. The elements that are referred to
are the tourist attractions, tourist facilities, the
environment and the local community, market
potential, management and service and the
relationship with other attractions. These seven
elements are graded and analyzed by the using
the Tourism Attraction Rapid Assessment for
developing the recommendations that must be
done by the management of Betung Kerihun
National Park (TNBK) with other stakeholders
within the Tekelan Site. The recommendations
refer to the concepts and principals of eco-
tourism that is used in this study.
TARA is a guideline that was developed by
defining the factors that affects the development
of the tourism destination and gives greater
weight or values toward each factor. In
defining the main factor that is connected
to the development of a tourism product in a
particular destination. The factors that affect the
development of the tourism product and each of
its values are the following:
2.2.1 Tourism Attraction (Daya Tarik
Wisata – DTW)
DTW is the strongest factor within a tourism
system and due to this it is given the highest
values, 6, within the TARA. Compared to other
factors that form a tourism product, DTW is the
defining pull factor for tourists in influencing
the tourists’ decisions to visit a tourism
destination. No attraction, no destination.
DTW is categorized into two types; Nature
based DTW and Cultural DTW
2.2.2 Accessibility
Accessibility is one of the main factors within
a product as it pushes the potential market
to the real market. This factor includes the
transportation into a country, inter and intra
region along with inside a site and the easiness
to acquire information about a destination.
TARA gives a value of 5 for the accessibility
factor because of the importance of this factor
in developing a tourism product after the main
factor of tourism attraction is accounted for.
The conditions of land, sea, and lake, access
to and from tourist areas are used in defining the
value within TARA. In addition to this, TARA
also takes into account the access to and from the
main terminal gate whether they are land roads,
airports, seaports, train stations, the frequency
and the amount of available seats of public
transportation from tourist’s centers.
2.2.3 Tourism Facilities
Tourism facilities are important factors
in shaping the tourism product as it gives
easiness, comfort, health, cleanliness, safety
and security to the tourists. Tourism facilities
includes but not limited to the accommodation,
restaurants, tourist information centers, travel
guides, shopping centers, souvenir shops and
supporting tourism facilities within the radius of
banks, money changers, ATMs, hospitals, police.
In developing the ideal tourism product, tourism
facilities must also include special facilities that
are able to give access to parents, children and
the disabled. Tourism facilities also include
tourism infrastructure such as roads, modern
communication networks (internet), electricity,
clean water, drainage and sewage treatment/
disposal system. Due to the importance of
tourism facilities, TARA has given a weight of
5 for this factor.
2.2.4 Community Environment
An organized and well maintained
environment and the perception of the
community towards the development of tourism
is one of the main factors that defines the
success of a tourism development aside from
the indicators of the levels of wealth within a
society. The environment that is defined by
TARA includes but not limited to the land
usage or planning that has been formulated
and enacted, the ownership status of a DTW,

the population density, the perception of the
community towards tourism, the levels of
unemployment, source of income, the levels of
education, impacts towards the biodiversity and
natural resources such as mining. With many
sub factors being assessed, TARA gives a value
of 5 for this factor.
2.2.5 Market Potential
Due to the importance of potential market
information as the main ‘supplier’ of visitors to
a DTW, TARA gives a value of 4 for this factor.
Within this study, TARA measures the market
potential value from local and international
tourists visiting Indonesia, specifically those
who visit nature based DTWs through the
development of the amount of tourists. For
the local tourists market, it is based on the
amount of residents within a certain radius and
the direct or indirect access of the DTWs with
transportation modes. TARA also looks at the
changes undergoing throughout the world and
has impact towards the traveling patterns and
motivations of tourists, specifically nature based
DTWs. Sub-factors that are assessed includes
but not limited to:
1. The growth of the amount of tourists
2. The views of tourists towards the image of
the tourism destination country and the
DTW that they will visit and have visited.
3. The distance between the DTW and the
international/regional airports.
4. The population and the population density
per km2 (regency, cities, capital cities and
provinces) closest to the DTW.
5. The population within a 75km radius from
the DTW.
2.2.6 Management and Service
The management and service of a DTW is
the image architect of the regional tourism that
is related directly to the satisfaction of tourists.
The management and service includes the
availability of management documents such as
the plans for the development and management
of regional tourism attractions, the effectiveness
of the management organization, the quality
of service and the completeness of supporting
infrastructures and maintenance. TARA gives
a weight of 3 for this factor. DTW that has a
high value may find difficulties in achieving
development success if the management and
their service have low value. The management
and service factor includes, but it is not limited
to these sub factors :
1. The preparedness of the organization /
management.
2. The quality of service.
3. The maintenance and service infrastructure
(types and amount).
2.2.7 Relationships with similar DTWs
The success of the development is also
determined by the competition between similar
tourist attractions. In developing a tourism
product that is able to compete needs to take
into account the linkages with other DTW that is
able to become a series within a tourism package
that compliments one another. The assessment
is done towards other DTW within a 75km
radius. Due to this, the DTWs within the radius
need to be identified and assessed. TARA gives
a weight of 2 for this factor.
2.3 The Eco-tourism Concept and
Principles
Taking into consideration the characteristics
of eco-tourism as found and introduced from the
discussion forums and studies, also in addition
the understanding of sustainable tourism as
outlined by the World Tourism Organization,
eco-tourism in Indonesia is understood as a
concept of developing and executing tourism
based on the natural environment and the
local community’s culture with the principle of
utilizing and executing which is directed at:
9Methodology

1. The protection of natural and cultural
resources to secure a sustainable ecology
and the preservation of the local culture.
2. The management in conducting activities
with the minimalist negative impacts
possible (enviro-management)
3. Involvement and the empowerment of
the local culture as a part of the effort in
making aware, enabling, dignifying, and
instilling self-reliance of the people towards
increasing the well-being and the quality of
life, by resting on the vocational activities
conducted by the people themselves, and
the improvement of professional skills.
4. The development and presentation of
tourist attractions in the form of programs
interpreting the natural environment and
the local culture that contains learning and
recreation.
For the eco-tourist market, in the search for a true
travelling experience, the limitations of services
infrastructuresgenerallyisnotmuchofaconcern.
This tendency opens opportunities for regions
that are still isolated from tourism development.
Meanwhile, for the management of the region
destined for tourism, they are demanded of
their abilities to raise the uniqueness and the
distinctiveness of the region and package it
into a product that is line with the trend of the
market yet without disregarding the function of
protecting the region. The management is also
required to be able to develop a tourism area that
is able to provide a sense of pride for their local
community of their natural and cultural values,
the opportunity to gain benefits and achieve
welfare and the improvement of the quality of
life through tourism.
There are limitations of eco-tourism that is
used in this study as developed by Sekartjakrarini
in her book Kriteria dan Indikator Ekowisata
Indonesia (Criterias and Indicators of Eco-
tourism in Indonesia) they are: “a concept of
development and management of tourism based
on the utilization of the landscape for protection
and conservation, centered in the participation
of the community by providing products that
encompasses education, learning and recreation,
has minimal negative impact, provides a positive
contribution towards the economic development
of the area, which is intended for the protected
areas, public areas, built-up natural areas, and
also the cultural areas.”
This concept has given a much wider space for
the developers of the region to administer it not
only the forested areas but also in other natural
and built-up areas. The types and activities of
eco-tourism are very dependent on the result of
the assessment towards the landscape that will
be developed. Landscape as defined within eco-
tourism is the appearance of a natural or artificial
environment as a manifestation of the interplay
between man and his environment in a period
of time. This definition of landscape needs to be
addressed within this study due to it being an
important asset in developing a region for the
purposes of tourism. Through this definition the
development and the operation of tourism in the
many types regions can be apply an eco-tourism
concept.
To facilitate understanding of eco-tourism,
five ‘sufficient requirements’ or the following
principles should be applied to an area or site
that will be developed by using the concept of
eco-tourism, namely:
1. Conservation - Protecting the landscape
that is used for tourism activities
2. Participation - Engage actively with
communities in tourism activities.
3. Education and Recreation - Presents
a decent market product that is laden
education, learning and recreation of local
characteristic values (natural and cultural)
4. Economy - Providing a positive contribution
to the economic development of the region
5. Control - Minimizing the smallest possible
negative impact of a series of tourism
activities.

In regards with the concepts and principles
of eco-tourism that is used in this study, the
consultant presents the development of eco-
tourism conditions in Indonesia’s national parks
and its policies and challenges as a starting point
to understand the challenges of eco-tourism
development in the Tekelan site located in
TNBK’s utilization zone.
2.4 Flow Chart of the Study
A holistic and integrated flow chart in
the study process is drawn into the following
diagram:
VISION DATA - ANALYSIS - CONCLUSION - RECOMMENDATION IMPLICATION
Attraction Current
Strategic
Issues
Eco-tourism
Concept
OBJECTIVES
Accessibility
Tourism Facilities
Community & Environment
Market Potential
Management & Services
Connectivity with
Similar Attraction
IMPLICATION
CONCLUSION
RECOMMENDATION
Feed back along the process
Laws and
Regulations
affected the
study area
VISION-VILLAGEECO-TOURISM
DEVELOPMENT
11Methodology

Chapter 3
The State of
Ecotourism
Development
in Indonesia’s
National Parks

3.1 The Policy
The policies in regards to the management of
national parks have been set up for conservation.
However the development of it has continually
not been balanced between the protection of the
region and the conservation of the biodiversity
of the region with sustainable practice. After
the convening of the 5th World National Park
Congress in Durban in 2003, there has been a
strong proclivity of the development of National
Parks management towards sustainable practice.
The result of the congress has produced an
agreement that every conservation area must be
able to provided benefits for the community and
stakeholders.
The current utilization of National Parks
for tourism is still similar to tourism in general
within Indonesia. That is, it is still characterized
by mass-resort tourism. Initiatives to set-forth
eco-tourism have been relatively limited towards
merely the usage of the term, it is minimally
found to be practiced in the field. Even though
since 1990 there has been formulated Law
No. 5 Year 1990, which gives space for the
development of tourism in National Parks,
and also the Government Regulations No.18
Year 1994 in regards to the Natural Tourism
Businesses in Utilization Zones within National
Parks, Nature Tourism Parks and Forest Parks,
the interests in investing in National Parks for
tourism development, especially in applying an
eco-tourism concept, is still minimal compared
to the scale and potential of the area that can be
utilized. Yet the interest in investing has begun
to grow, especially in the field of nature-based
tourism services after the renewed business
regulations through Government Regulation
No. 36 Year 2010 regarding the Business within
Game Reserves, National Parks, Forest Parks
and Nature tourism parks.
Government Regulation No. 36 Year 2010
has been followed up by the Ministry of Forestry
by issuing a Minister of Forestry Regulation No.
P.48/Menhut-II/2010 regarding the Business
of Nature-based Tourism that consists of the
procedures in applying permits for tourism
business in those areas and the Directorate
General of Forest Protection and Nature
Conservation Regulation No. P3/IV-SET/2011
regarding the Guidelines in Formulating
Designs for the Management of Natural Tourism
Sites of Game Reserves, National Parks, Forest
Parks and Nature tourism parks. The Directorate
General’s regulation on Formulating Designs of
Sites focuses on the allocation of nature-based
tourism spaces that will be managed by the
‘public’ or the government and ‘private’, which is
the space that will be given to other stakeholders
in order to be utilized for business.
Aside from the development of tourism that
is conducted through business permits and
regulationsonbusinesseswithintheconservation
areas, a few National Park developers initiated
the development of tourism activities together
with the local community and facilitated
through the technical assistance from donor
countries or by International NGOs focused in
eco-tourism.We can take for an example Mount
Rinjani National Park that formed a council in
development of trekking tourism and Mount
Halimun Salak National Park that constructed
lodging facilities for researchers, which can be
used, for the lodging of visitors. The management
of Mount Halimun Salak National Park also
cooperated with the community in managing
the camping grounds and visitor lodges. This
cooperation that benefited both parties has also
been done at Mount Gede Pangrango National
Park by working together with the owner and the
management of the camping grounds outside of
the sight, which is situated only one kilometer
from the boundaries of the sight.
Although the tourism activities of the
National Park using the eco-tourism term
as initiated by the forestry sector has not
been carried well, the commitment of the
government in supporting and intensifying
the implementation of the eco-tourism concept
15The State of Ecotourism Development in Indonesia’s National Parks

in the development of the national tourism is
shown in sectors related through a number of
operational policies. Amongst the operational
policies are the Guidelines for Eco-tourism
Development, Guidelines for Development of
Special Interests Tourism and the Guidelines for
Development of Tourism in Small Islands, which
has been formulated by the Ministry of Culture,
and Tourism. The Ministry of Environment
has also initiated the forming of National
Policies and Strategies in the Development of
Natural Ecological Tourism and the Guidelines
for the Development of Eco-tourism for the
Management of Biodiversity Destruction in
National Parks and Nature tourism parks. The
Ministry of Interior Affairs has even issued a
Government Circular to the all the Governors
regarding the Guideline for the Development
of Local Eco-tourism (SE No. 660.1/846/V/
Bangda 28 April 2000) and Government
Regulations No. 33 Year 2009 regarding the
Guidelines of Eco-tourism Development in
Local Regions. The Ministry of Maritime and
Fisheries has supported the development of
eco-tourism by launching the Guidelines for
Developing Tourism in Maritime Conservation
Areas, Technical Guidance, and Technical
Guidance for the Development of Eco-tourism in
Small Islands and the Interpretation Guidelines
for Maritime Conservation Areas.
The support of the government in developing
eco-tourism which is quite real is when
the government launched the Presidential
Instruction No. 16 Year 2005 (Inpres 16/2005)
which assigned the Ministry of Forestry to: (1)
Facilitate the utilization of conservation areas
in the utilization zones of National Parks,
Forest Parks, and Nature tourism parks for the
development of the ecosystem and eco-tourism,
and (2) Develop and prepare a data basis and
information system that supports the efforts of
utilizing forest areas and conservation areas for
the usage of tourism activities.
These policies that has been initiated by
the government agencies has showed that
eco-tourism have become a concern and is
believed by the government to able to explore
the enormous natural and cultural wealth of
Indonesia in the conservation areas through
tourism and provide a sustainable economic
contribution to the community.
The government’s confidence has propelled
the Ministry of Forestry to increase the prices of
tickets for entering in to the conservation areas
through Government Regulation No. 12 Year
2014 regarding the Types and Tariffs of Types of
Non-Tax State Income applied to the Ministry of
Forestry, as one of the efforts by the government
to increase the state’s income through non-
tax sectors. The Ministry of Forestry ensures
that the raise of fees for tourism activities in
conservation areas will be filter for tourists and
investors that will utilize the conservation areas.
The implementation of regulations that must
be carried out 30 days after being promulgated
in 14 February 2014 has not been carried
thoroughly well. Even in some National Parks,
these regulations has put an end to tourism
activities which initially went well with the
parties involved as the Government Regulation
No. 36 Year 2010 on Tourism Business came
into force. The activities must be discontinued
and altered of its cooperation scenario to refer
to the Government Regulation No. 36 Year
2010 on Tourism Business in Game Reserves,
National Parks, Forest Parks and Nature tourism
parks.
3.2 The Management
Law No. 5 Year 1990 and other regulations
that is referred by National Parks in Indonesia
asserts that the zoning system and management
plans are two most important matters in the
management of these conservation areas. The
division of zones in National Parks dictates the
spaces for the development of tourism in the area

also the type of tourism that is allowed and not
allowed to be conducted in those spaces. Due
to this the availability of plans in the National
Parks can be used to picture the readiness of
the areas in regards to the development of eco-
tourism in Indonesia.
Currently National Parks in Indonesia has
management plans. Out of 50 plans for the
management of National Parks, 42 have been
authorized and 8 have not yet. Zone planning
has also been done in almost all sites except in 5
(five) land National Parks and 1 (one) maritime
National Park sites. Of 44 National Parks that
has been arranged of its zones, 35 areas have
been authorized and 9 (nine) other areas are still
waiting to be authorized.
Table 1 presents the statues of National
Parks in Indonesia in regards to the forming of
management plans and zoning arrangements.
In the table, it has also been presented National
Parks that has design for sites related to the
spaces that will manage by the ‘public’ and
will we be used for business by the ‘private’ as
underlined in the Directorate General of Forest
Protection and Nature Conservation Regulation
No. P3/IV-SET/2011 regarding the Guidelines
in Formulating Designs for the Management
of Natural Tourism Sites of Game Reserves,
National Parks, Forest Parks and Nature tourism
parks. The conducting of business, whether it
is for services and facilities, is only presented
in the table to be completed by the curiosity of
the wider community with possibility of their
participation in the development of National
Parks in Indonesia.
Tabel 1. The Availability of Plans and Permits in Indonesia’s National Parks
No. National Park
Management
Plans
Zonings
SiteDesigns
IUPJPA
IUPSPA
Principal
Agreements
Applications
Explanation
Sumatera Region
1 Gunung Leuser l l
2 Siberut l l *
3 Kerinci Seblat l l
4 Bukit Tigapuluh l l *
5 Bukit Duabelas l m
6 Berbak l l *
7 Sembilang l l *
8 Bukit Barisan Selatan l l l l l l *
9 Way Kambas l l l *
10 Batang Gadis l l

No. National Park
Management
Plans
Zonings
SiteDesigns
IUPJPA
IUPSPA
Principal
Agreements
Applications
Explanation
11 Tesso Nilo m l
Jawa Region
12 Ujung Kulon l l l l *
13 Kepulauan Seribu l l l
14 Gunung Halimun Salak l l m l
15 Gunung Gede Pangrango l l l l *
16 Karimunjawa l l
17 Bromo Tengger Semeru l l l *
18 Meru Betiri l l l *
19 Baluran l l *
20 Alas Purwo l l l l l l *
21 Gunung Merapi m l
22 Gunung Merbabu l l
23 Gunung Ciremai l l l l l
Bali and Nusa Tenggara Region
24 Bali Barat l l l
25 Gunung Rinjani m l l
26 Komodo l l l l l l
27 Manupeu Tanah Daru m m
28 LaiwangiWanggameti m m
29 Kelimutu m l
Kalimantan Region
30 Gunung Palung l l l
31 Danau Sentarum l
32 Betung Kerihun l l
33 Bukit Baka-Bukit Raya l

No. National Park
Management
Plans
Zonings
SiteDesigns
IUPJPA
IUPSPA
Principal
Agreements
Applications
Explanation
34 Tanjung Puting m m
35 Kutai l
36 Kayan Mentarang l
37 Sebangau l
Sulawesi Region
38 Bunaken l l
39 Bogani NaniWartabone l l
40 Lore Lindu l l
41 Taka Bonerate l l
42 Rawa AopaWatumohai l l
43 Wakatobi l l m
44 Kepulauan Togean m
45 Bantimurung – Bulusaraung l l
Maluku and Papua Region
46 Manusela l m m
47 Aketajawe – Lolobata l l
48 Teluk Cendrawasih l l
49 Lorentz l l
50 Wasur l l *
Source: Direktorat Pemanfaatan Jasa Lingkungan Kawasan Konservasi dan Hutan Lindung, 2012
Explanation
IUPJPA : Izin Usaha Pengusahaan Jasa Pariwisata Alam (Business Permits of Nature-based Tourism Services)
IUPSPA : Izin Usaha Pengusahaan Sarana Pariwisata Alam (Business Permits of Nature-based Tourism Facilities)
* : Regions that have completed their technical documents and authorizations of managements plans and
zonings
l : Has been authorized
m : Still in process

By examining Tabel 1, we can see that there
still lies a huge opportunity for the utilization of
National Parks in Indonesia through Tourism.
Permits for businesses of nature-based tourism
have been given to entrepreneurs and the
community and also the permit applications
have only been conducted in 14 National Parks.
The remaining 36 National Parks including
Betung Kerihun National Park, have not received
any attention from the community especially the
entrepreneurs that are willing to participate in
the development of tourism in National Parks.
However this opportunity must be followed by
the availability of plans from the National Parks,
to ensure that the conducting of business will be
able to avoid conflicts in the usage of site spaces
and embodies the principals of eco-tourism,
especially the participation and the benefits
for the local community. Currently there only
8 (eight) National Parks that has Site Designs
and from these 8 (eight) plans only 5 (five) plans
have been authorized.
3.3 The Challenges
In its practice, the sustainable utilization as
in how the nature of conservation which places
eco-tourism as a concept in the development
and practice of tourism in a National Park
still faces numerous challenges. This is mainly
due ever since tourism has been stated in Law
No. 5 year 1990 in which it can be developed
in a conservation area, until now there has
not been any clear guidelines in the planning
of its development. Only particular National
Parks have a Tourism Master Plan. Although
the government has given permit towards
conducting nature-based tourism business in
a few National Parks, not all the areas have
plans in developing a tourism area that guides
and bins developers with other stakeholders to
realize the benefits sustainably.
The Tourism Master Plan is a policy and
concept that reflects the balance between
the demand of tourism and the supply of the
resources in an ideal state, that is by blending
and matching a range of interests in order for
it support each other. Inside it includes the
aspiration and interest of local areas because
the commitment of local governments is
decisively necessary in dealing with the national
conservation development and to support the
infrastructure outside of the National Park so
that it may support the development of tourism
sites.
Other important challenges that are related
with the policies and practices of the tourism
development in Indonesia’s National Parks
are the spatial planning of the areas permitted
to be utilized. Tourism is a series of activities
and to realize these activities needs space.
To minimalize conflict, spatial planning of
utilization zones is very important in order for
the interests of the government; community and
the entrepreneurs can be accommodated evenly.
Currently not all National Parks, including
Betung Kerihun National Park has a planning for
utilization zone boundaries that is precise in the
field although the zoning of the National Park
has been set and authorized. These utilization
zones or ‘spaces’ needs to be clear so that it may
give assurance to the stakeholders that have
diverse interests in tourism development and
management. Regulations by the Directorate
General of Forest Protection and Nature
Conservation about the formulation of Site
Designs as one the efforts of the government in
sorting ‘utilization zones’ that will be managed
by the government, community or entrepreneurs
is worthy to be valued. Though in the field, the
formulation of Site Designs still faces challenges
mainly located in the vagueness in defining Site
Designs itself and no maps are available with
the appropriate scale needed for the planning.
The issue of policies and its implementation
has received attention since the issuing of
Government Regulations No. 18 Year 1994
concerning the Business of Nature-based

Tourism within the Utilization Zones of
National Park, Nature Tourism Parks and Forest
Parks which covers the provision of facilities
and infrastructure, and ultimately only likely
to provide an opportunity for large investors.
Business practices of interpreting natural and
cultural resources which should have been
developed as a prime National Park tourism
commodity and communities with small
capital including individuals, did not have any
regulations until the issuing of Government
Regulation No. 36 Year 2010 regarding the
Business Practice of Nature-based Tourism in
Game Reserves, National Parks, Forest Parks,
Nature Tourist Parks. The implementation of
the Government Regulations has met with much
larger challenges when in 2014 the government
issued Government Regulations no. 12 Year
2014 on Tariffs for Non-tax State Income
which was applied for the Ministry of Forestry.
This Government Regulation, although was the
government’s effort in increasing the value of
the National Park’s resources is seen by tourism
stakeholders in National Parks as reducing their
profits.
Otherchallengesarethepracticeofdeveloping
tourism in National Parks in relations to the
implementation of the business practices permits
of nature-based tourism through Government
Regulations No. 18 Year 1994, which until today
still continues, although this regulation has
been renewed with the issuing of Government
Regulation No. 36 Year 2010. In the regulations
of tourism business practices within National
Parks and Nature Tourist Parks, the Ministry
of Forestry only allows the development of
10% from the area permitted to be developed.
Furthermore this regulation is followed by the
construction permits of tourism facilities that
are permitted, which is 10% of the area intended
for development or 1% of the area intended for
business. Although the reality in the field has
shown that a majority of entrepreneurs has only
developed less than the area permitted to be built
of facilities. As an example, entrepreneurs who
requested an area of 500 hectares within their
site plan only developed 0.5 hectares. If their
ability to develop is only 0.5 hectares, then the
entrepreneurs required area is only 50 hectares.
Other than being able to ease the responsibility
of the entrepreneurs, this situation will remove
the impression of ‘control over the land’ within
the site.
Practices in national parks have given
examples of the weakness of the understanding
and consequently the management of developing
tourism in a conservation site. Although the
implementation of regulations in developing
tourism has so far immensely related to the
provision of facilities and the infrastructure of
tourism, the exploration of characteristics and
the implementation of using materials including
the shape of the tourism infrastructure,
including its management has been far from
being eco-friendly. The clauses within the
regulations which states ‘in accordance with
the local buildings and does not disrupt the
landscape’ is still defined differently from one
site to another, due to the lack of guidelines
that explains explicitly of those clauses. Zoning
regulations and design regulations has not
been fully practiced, as there are still numerous
buildings infringing on the boundaries of coastal
borders, community and wildlife crossings.
The Guideline in Formulating the Site Designs
of Nature-based Tourism Management as
regulated by the Directorate General of Forest
Protection and Nature Conservation in 2011,
other than not being fully understood by the
management, the regulation itself only consist
of the forming of technical teams and normative
general technical guidelines in formulating site
designs in a conservation area.

Chapter 4
The Betung Kerihun
National Park

4.1 The Landscape and the
Tourism Potential
Landscape that is referred to in this study
is the harmonious relationship between the
land the people with their structures, activities
and communities. The general outlook of the
landscape in Betung Kerihun National Park is
located in the Regency of Kapuas Hulu, West
Kalimantan, it is marked and dominated by
to distinct physical features: the hills and the
rivers. On the section of the hills are the Muller
Mountains that connects the Mount Betung
and Mount Kerihun and is also the boundary
between Indonesia and Sarawak, Malaysia. In
all the areas of Betung Kerihun National Park, it
has 179 mountains spread through three of five
watersheds/river basins that is forced from the
rivers from the foothills of Mount Muller which
are the rivers of Kapuas, Sibau, Mendalam,
Bungan and Embaloh.
The hydrological characteristic that
is dominant in this area has a role in the
water management for the province of West
Kalimantan and other areas bordering the site.
Betung Kerihun National Park is the headwater
of the Kapuas River that becomes the main river
in West Kalimantan and the longest river in
Indonesia. In total the National Park contributes
as much as 8,1% of the total river area of the
Kapuas river in West Kalimantan that has a
catchment area of 9.874.910 hectares. Not less
than 60% of the water caught in this area is a
water source for lakes and rivers flowing from it.
The hydrological systems in Betung Kerihun
National Park consist of hundreds of river
networks small and large, which stems from the
Kapuas river basin. The length and condition
of the river in Betung Kerihun National Park is
incredibly varied, starting from the wide, to the
narrow, to the murky, to the crystal clear, to the
deep, to the shallow, to the muddy, to the rocky,
to the calm currents, to the rapid, even to the
high cascades. The hydrological conditions of
the rivers in Betung Kerihun National Park has
made this sire as one of the life support systems
that is important for the community living on
riverbanks of the longest river in Indonesia.
In a few locations the rivers are littered with
cascades fit for potential water sports such as
river rafting with a difficulty level ranging from
the lowest to the highest. Waterfalls, cliffs and
karst caves found in the western park of the
national parks also has potential for sports and
tourism activities such as rock climbing and cave
exploring.
The beauty of Betung Kerihun National
Park is made not only forms its physical
landscape features, but also its biodiversity and
the diversity of its culture. Orangutans (Pongo
pygmaeus pygmaeus) are the key species of this
site. Inside this national park can be found also
the birds from the relatives of Bucerotidae and
the habitat of Semah Fish (Tor spp.). Arboreal
animals can found in the flowering season up
until the fruit season, which is the month of
November until January, where during that time
usually a number of primate species and fish are
within their reproduction period.
Although dominated by the Dipterocarpaceae
low land forest, the type of ecosystem at Betung
Kerihun National Park varies deeply due to
the alluvial rain, swamp forests, old secondary
forests, dipterocarpaceae hill forests, calcareous
forests, subtropical forests and mountain forests.
The family of Shorea, Dipterocarpus and Hopea
are included in some of the families commonly
found within the Diprerocarpaceae forests.
Generally the forest conditions of these types
of ecosystems are still relatively well even in
some locations they are still (pristine). With an
area of about 800.000 hectares and a multitude
of types of ecosystems that extends from the
height of 150m to 2000m above the sea level,
Betung Kerihun National Park is one of the last
stronghold of biodiversity in Indonesia and even
the world.
The vegetation condition in Betung Kerihun
National Park is still relatively intact, affecting
25The Betung Kerihun National Park

the climate of the region that extremely wet.
The precipitation level is very high. In 1995
it even reached 309 days of rain which means
only 50 days in the year this region was not
rained. The forest of Betung Kerihun National
Park determines the climate stability of not only
the Regency of Kapuas Hulu but also the wider
climate of the Island of Kalimantan.
In the framework of the tourism development
in a particular site or region, the natural resources
refer to five underlying forms of nature; they are
water, topography (with the changes being made),
flora, fauna and climate. Table 2 shows the
development of tourism that relates to the natural
resources that is developed for the development
of activities within the tourism sites.
The natural resource that has become the
main attraction for many of the visitors as well
as the cornerstone of Betung Kerihun National
Park, as well as being offered as National Park
Tourism Product is the natural landscape with
the elements as shown in Table 1, they are among
others: valleys, waterfalls, caves, water sources,
rivers with cascades, karst mountains, orchids,
Pitcher plants (Nephentes sp), Orangutans, the
Rhinoceros hornbill, predator birds, forest
birds and cultural heritage sites. Altogether this
product is packaged in one trekking and hiking
route.
The cultural landscape that is created within
the national park and the surrounding areas
cannot be separated from the physical character
of its natural landscape. The character of a
cultural landscape grows as an embodiment
of the activities and interactions of natural
factors and or human beings from time to
time. The cultural landscape of Betung Kerihun
National Park depicts this. The livelihood of the
community living inside and around the Betung
Kerihun National Park is very dependent on the
presence of the rivers in the area.
Tabel 2. The Development of Tourism in relations with the Natural Resources.1
No. Sumber Daya Typical Development
1. Water Resort, campgrounds, parks, fishing sites, marinas, boat cruises river
float trips, picnic area, water scenic areas, shell collecting areas, water
festival sites, waterfront areas, scuba diving sites, water photographic
sites.
2. Topografi Mountain resorts, mountain climbing, hang glidings areas, parks, scenic
sites, plains, ranch resorts, scenic drives, vista photography.
3. Vegetation Parks, campgrounds, wildflower sites, tropical foliage araes, scenic
overlooks, scenic drives, vacation homes, scenic photography sites,
habitat for wildlife.
4. Wildlife Nature centers, nature interpretive centers, wildlife observations, wildlife
photographic sites, resorts.
5. Climate Sited suited to sunbathing, beach use, summer and rainy resorts,
site with temperature and precipitation suited to specific activity
development.
1
Clare A. Gunn, 1994. Tourism Planning: Basic, Concept and Practices

The elongated traditional houses of the
Dayak tribe called the ‘rumah betang’, which
literally means long house, and also their
livelihood and their activities are part of the
cultural landscape that was built as a result of the
interaction of the community and their natural
landscape. Betung Kerihun National Park is
surrounded by 7 (seven) Dayak tribes, namely
the Dayak Iban, Tamambaloh, Taman Sibau,
Kantu’, Kayan Mendalam, Bukat Mendalam,
Bukat Metelunai, dan Punan Hovongan. Only
the the Dayak Punan Hovongan resides inside
Betung Kerihun National Park and they are
one of the Dayak tribes that represents the four
typology of the Dayak tribe that is located within
Kalimantan or Borneo. More than 1000 Dayak
families live around Betung Kerihun National
Park. They blend with the Malays, the Javanese
and the Chinese.
The following table describes the cultural
resources that can be extracted from a particular
are for the purpose of constructing that area from
simply a destination area into a Cultural Tourism
Destination area. In regards to the community
around Betung Kerihun National Park, the
resources of ‘ethnicity, lore and education’ are
the main objects encountered and hoped to be
the leading support in developing eco-tourism
in the Tekelan site.
4.2 The Management
4.2.1 The Arrangement of Regional
spaces and Managements Plans
The Ministry of Forestry designated Betung
Kerihun National Park as a national park in the
September 2, 1999 through the Decree of the
Ministry of Forestry No. 467/Kpts-II/1995.
The national park, which was initially, named
as Bentuang Karimun covers an area of 800.000
hectares and is a result of a status change from
Tabel 3. The Development of Tourism in relations with the Cultural Resources.1
No. Resources Typical Development
1. Prehistory,
Archeology
Interpretive centers, archeological digs, prehistory parks and preserves,
nautical archeological sites, festival sites related to prehistory, exhibits
and customs related to prehistory.
2. History Historic sites, historic architecture, historic shrines, museum depicting
eras of human history, cultural centers, historic pageant, festivals,
landmarks, historic parks.
3. Ethnicity, Lore,
Education
Places important to legends and lore, places of ethnic importance
(customs, art, foods, dress, beliefs), ethnic and national cultural centers,
pageants, festivals, gardens, elderhostels, universities.
4. Industry, Trade,
Professionalism
Manufacturingand processing plants, retail and wholesale businesses,
conferences centers, educational and research institutions, convention
centers, performing arts, museums, galleries.
5. Entertainment,
Helath, Religion,
Sports
Spas, health centers, fitness resorts, health specialty restaurants, religious
meccas, shrines, sports arenas, theaters, museums (history, art, natural
history, applied science, children’s folk), art galleries.
1
Clare A. Gunn, 1994. Tourism Planning: Basic, Concept and Practices

Bentuang Karimun NatureReserve, designated
by the Ministry of Agriculture in 1982 with an
area that cover 600.000 hectares and ten years
later it was expanded to 800.000 hectares.
The 25 years time span of the management
plans of Betung Kerihun National Park (2000-
204) has been formulated and is a long-term
plan in developing the area. The 5 year plan that
is poured into the Five Year Mangement Plan of
Betung Kerihun National Park has now entered
its third periode (2010 -2014). The Management
Plan of Betung Kerihun National Pak consists of
three books; they are Book I, which comprises of
the Management Plans, Book II that comprises
of the Data, Projection and Analysis, and last
Book III, which comprises the Site Plans. There
regulations on the management of National
Parks with zoning systems and the Ministry
of Forestry Regulation No. P.56/Menhut-
II/2006 concerning the Zonation Guidelines
of National Parks, through the Decree of the
Directorate General of Forest Protection and
Nature Conservation No: SK.120/IV-KK/2009
dated 15 July 2009, Betung Kerihun National
Park is divided into 6 (six) zones, they are the
Core Zone, Wilderness Zone, Utilization Zone,
Religious, Cultural and Historical Zone, and
also the Special Use Zone (settlements).
1. The Core Zone (385.368 ha)
The Core Zone composes of the Embaloh
watershed, which covers 120.343 ha, the
Sibau watershed, which covers 61.291 ha,
the Mendalam watershed, which covers
32.120 ha, and the Kapuas watershed,
which covers 171.615 ha. The Core Zone
is an area with five types of ecosystem
that has high vulnerability due to the area
being the main water catchment area with
key species of the region, the Orangutan
(Pongo pygmaeus pygmaues), birds from
the Bucerotidae family and is the habitat
for the Semah fish (Tor spp.).
2. The Wilderness Zone (231.529 ha)
The Wilderness Zone composes of the
Embaloh watershed that covers 59.806 ha,
the Sibau watershed that covers an area of
52.227 ha, the Mendalam watershed that
covers 43.845 ha and the Kapuas watershed,
which covers an area of 76.012 ha. The
wilderness zone is a potential location of
limited and special interests tourism. This
zone is a stopover area for migratory birds.
3. The Utilization Zone (24.859 ha)
The Utilization Zone composes of the
Embaloh that covers an area of 7.170 ha, the
Sibau watershed that covers an area of 7.425
ha, the Mendalam watershed 2.160 ha the
Kapuas watershed that covers an area 8.104
ha. Within this zone there lies potential
objects to be developed for nature-based
tourism, theses consists of caves, waterfalls,
karst mountains, rivers with cascades and
routes for hiking.
4. The Traditional Zone (143.894 ha)
The Traditional Zone consists of 4 (four)
watersheds, they are the Embaloh watershed
that covers an area of 28.250 ha, the Sibau
watershed that covers an area of 6.369 ha,
the Mendalam watershed that covers an area
16.394 ha and 92.876 ha from the Kapuas
watershed. This zone is formed as a protein
supply zone (fish and boars) and non-wood
forest products (rattan, sap, jelutung, and
wallet’s nest) for the local community.
5. The Religious, Cultural and Historical
Zone (10.196 ha)
This is only situated within the Embaloh
and Kapuas watershed. It consists of 4.182
ha of the Embaloh watershed and 6.014 ha
of the Kapuas watershed.
Within this zone their lies a variety of
historical and cultural heritage sites within
the form of ancestral Dayak caves known as
‘tembawang’.

6. The Special Use Zone for Settlements
(4.154 ha)
The Special Use Zone (Settlements)
composes of the settlement areas of the
local residents (the Tanjung Lokang village
located within the Kapuas watershed) and
also the farm fields near the river. This
Special Use Zone is located in the Kapuas
watershed with an area of 3.904 ha and the
Mendalam watershed with an area of 249 ha
that consists of the Dayak Bukat farm fields
near the Mendalam river.
Although the Management Planning of Betung
Kerihun National Park provides a Site Plan,
however, it is not been written in detail of
the sites of development areas intended for
tourism specifically the utilization zones that
is later designated. Among a few efforts of
technical management activity plans that is
linked with tourism and has been formulated
the management of the area is the Procurement
of the Development and Utilization of Services
Models in a Nature-based Tourism Environment
in the Embaloh Watershed and the Master Plan
of the Village Model Developmen in the Sibau
Watershed.
Until this study was conducted, the
management of Betung Kerihun National Park
have not yet formulated a site design consistent
with the regulations from the Ministry of
Forestry No: P.48/Menhut-II/2010 concerning
the Entrepreneurship of Nature-based Tourism
in Game Reserves, National Parks, Forest Parks,
and Nature Tourism Parks for every nature-
based tourism business within the areas. Based
on the Minister’s regulation that has been
further enacted through the Directorate General
of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation
Decree No. P.3/IV-SET/2011 concerning the
Guidelines of Formulating a Design Site in
the Management of Nature-based Tourism in
Game Reserves, National Parks, Forest Parks
and Nature Tourism Parks, the management
of Betung Kerihun National Park should have
a Site Design for the Management of Nature-
based Tourism in every Utilization Zones so that
it may become a guideline in selecting tourism
activities managed by the management and the
partners and/or tourism entrepreneurs. In the
Directorate General’s Decree, the site design
for the management of nature-based tourism is
formulated by the head management of the sire
and is authorized by the technical director.
On the national level, Betung Kerihun
National Park has been designated as a model
for national parks alongside 19 other national
park models in Indonesia. As model national
park, Betung Kerihun National Park acquired
special attention from the government mainly
in its relations to the efforts it has conducted in
conservation.
TNBK is also the first Transfrontier Reserve
in Asia due to it having direct boundaries with
the Lanjak EntimauWildlife Sanctuary (LESW).
The Betung Kerihun National Park area has also
become an important center of attention in the
activity of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) program,
which involves three countries, Indonesia,
Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.
4.2.2 The Development of
Organizational Management
Betung Kerihun National Park has
experienced change in its organizational
management structure as much as four times.
From 1995-1997 Sub Office of the Conservation
of Natural Resources of West Kalimantan
which has its head office in Pontianak has a
responsibility in the conservation areas within
the whole ofWest Kalimantan including Betung
Kerihun National Park. Together with the
formation of the Technical Implementation Unit
of other national parks throughout Indonesia,
through the Ministry of Forestry Decree No.
185/Kpts-II/1997 dated 31 March 1997, the
Bentuang Karimun Nasional Park Unit was
formed on the level of echelon IVa.

In 2002, the management of Bentuang
Karimun National Park was raised to the level
of echelon III with the organizational structure
that was led by an Office Head and assisted
by a Head of Administration and two Section
Head. The management structure of the Betung
Kerihun National Park developed and in 2007
was designated by the Ministry of Forestry
through the Ministry of Forestry Regulation No.
P.03/Menhut-II/2007 dated 1 February 2007
to become a Main Office of Betung Kerihun
National Park with a Head Office on the level
of an eschelon IIB supported by the Head of
Administration, the Head of Technical Affairs,
two Section Head of the Technical Section, two
Section Head of the National Park Management
Section and four Section Head of the Regional
Section. The Tekelan site is within the Sadap
Resort led by the Head of Resort within the
organizational structure of the Balai Besar
Betung Kerihun National Park. The site is
located within the National Park’s Utilization
Zone located in the area west of the Embaloh
watershed.

Chapter 5
The Village and
The Site of Tekelan

The closest village to the Tekelan site is the
village of Menua Sadap located in the Embaloh
Hulu Sub-district, Kapuas Hulu Regency, and
the Province of West Kalimantan. The village of
Menua Sadap consist of 3 (three) hamlets and
the Sadap hamlet is one of three hamlets and is a
hamlet nearest to head of the Embaloh river and
the nearest to the Tekelan site. In order to visit
the site of Tekelan, visitors must go through the
Hamlet of Sadap.
The following is the result of the data
collection around the Tekelan site and the
Tekelan site with the Tourism Attraction Rapid
Assessment towards seven important elements
for the development of tourism.
5.1 The Tourism Attraction
The appointment of the Village of Menua
Sadap as a Tourism Village by the government is
tightly intertwined with the eco-tourism village
development framework of Tekelan. The Village
of Menua Sadap has a natural and cultural
attraction, which has become an inseparable part
of the attraction of the Tekelan site. The natural
attractions are the hills and the mountains with
little flatlands and with an elevation between 150-
2.000 meters above the sea level. The landscape
has often been offered by the village as a nature
tourism destination through trekking activities and
treading down the river.
!
Utilization Zone
Location of Tekelan
Menua Sadap Village
Gambar 1. The Location of the Tourism Village of Menua Sadap
33The Village and The Site of Tekelan

Whereas the cultural attraction is related with
religion, settlements, traditional ceremonies,
ethnic diversity, crafts and also the traditional
dances.
The tourist attraction of the Menua Sadap
Village is centered in the Hamlet of Sadap
located in the most eastern part from the village.
This hamlet located nearest to the head of the
Embaloh River has an area of 380 hectares that
consists of 240 hectares of land and 100 hectares
of water. Physically this hamlet is situated in a
landscape typology of rivers and hills with a
variety of contours. In a number of locations, the
hills are quite steep with a very deep crevice. The
natural landscape along the Embaloh River is
included within the Sadap Hamlet merged with
Betung Kerihun National Park and the Tekelan
River up until the Tekelan site.
Along the Embaloh River to the Tekelan
River is filled with beautiful landscape sceneries
and tropical rain forests. Navigating along the
Embaloh River (and the Tekelan River) we can
encounter huge canopies, which are the nests of
the Orangutans and where they also eat and play.
Aside from this we can also encounter a variety
of birds and other animals. There is one beautiful
and unique object that has been visited and has
a potential to be developed, that is the Karangan
Laboh. Karangan is a stretch of sedimentation
on the edge of the river, often used by the local
community to rest or even set up camp for the
night as they journey through the river with
their long-boats. At Karangan Laboh the are
two trails, one headed to the Laboh waterfall
(Laboh Besar and Laboh Kecil) and the other
headed to the hills where on the hills is located
the viewing tower and from the tower we can
enjoy the scenery of Mount Betung. Along the
river we will also encounter a number of unique
and peculiar rocks.
Entering the Tekelan River, it is the Tekelan
site that is the main purpose of the study to be
developed. Although recently the Tekelan site
has been mainly used as a camping site for
researchers, currently it has become a site that is
on demand by the visitors. The Tekelan site has
relatively steep contour with rocky cliffs on the
side facing the river with its clear yet rocky waters.
At this site there are a number of activities that
can be done such as trekking, hiking, swimming,
fishing, canoeing and camping.
From the Tekelan Site we can cruise along the
Tekelan River to Camp Derian. The journey to
Camp Derian passes through cascades on the
side of the river thus forcing the visitors to get
off and tug the boats themselves. Entering the
Derian Camp, visitors are welcomed by the
beautiful Ensurai tree formation on the left and
right sides of the river. Camp Derian is located
in the stopover location and in that location
visitors can do a numerous activities, such as the
trail heading to the Pajau Cave, flora and fauna
observations, which if lucky, they can encounter
the elusive and shy orangutan.
Heading down from the Pajau Cave, visitors
can head to Riam Naris, the last place on the
Tekelan River journey. The rapid cascades and
the huge rocks has made Riam Naris difficult
to navigate with a boat. Riam Naris has its own
beauty dan its branching with the Pajau river
is known to be the habitat for the Semah Fish
(Tor spp).
Other than the physical beauty of the
natural landscapes along the Embaloh River
and the Tekelan River heading to the Tekelan
site, the other attraction that hasn’t been fully
developed is the biodiversity trekkings of a
relativey intact tropical rain forest. There are at
least 695 species of trees that is classified into
15 genus and 63 families. From that amount,
50 species are endemic species for Borneo, such
as the Amyxa pluricormis a relative of the Gaharu
tree (Aquilaria spp), newly found flora such as
Neo uvaria, Acuminatissima, Castanopsis inermis,
Lithocarpus philipinensis, Chisocheton caulifloris,
Eugenia spicata dan Shorea.
They species of faunas that can be raised
as a trekking attraction heading to and around

the Tekelan sight includes birds, mammals,
primates and fishes. There are known to be 301
species of birds classified into 151 genus and
36 families. From this amount, 15 species are
migratory birds, 63 species are birds protected
by the law including the West Kalimantan
Province mascot, the Enggang Gading (Buceros
vigil) and 24 species are endemic to Borneo. The
Tekelan River has a key home-range species and
also the main attraction of the
Betung Kerihun National Park,
the orangutan.
From the mammalian group
there has been identified 48
species of mammals, among
others the Harimau Dahan
(Neofolis nebulosa), Kucing Hutan
(Felis bengalensis), Beruang
Madu (Helarctos malayanus),
Kijang (Muntiacus muntjak),
Rusa sambar (Cervus sp) and the
Kancil (Tragulus napu). From the
primate group there has been
found 8 (eight) species, they are
: Orang utan (Pongo pygmaeus),
Klampiau (Hilobates muelleri),
Hous (Presbytis frontata), Kelasi
(Presbytis rubicunda), Kera
(Macaca fascicularis), Kukang
(Nycticebus coucang) and Tarsius
(Tarsius bancanus). From the
fish group there is one species
of fish for consumption that has
quite a high value and that is the
Semah fish (Tor tambroides). In
exploring the nature attractions
to and around the Tekelan site is
drawn in the following map (non-
scaled).
The identification of the
location of nature based tourism
attractions heading to and around
the Tekelan site is drawn on the
following picture (none-scale).
Expeditions to the field by consultants
have found that there are still confusions in
the boundaries for the utilization zone in the
Embaloh River. The community needs a clear
definition on the area of the Tekelan site
authorized for tourism activities and facilities
construction, so that it may support proper
activities that are in line the current regulations.

Gambar 2. An image layout of the location of tourism attractions within and around
the Tekelan Site

Gambar 3. Sceneries from the expedition throughout the Embaloh River, among others : Karangan Laboh

Gambar 4. Dense tree canopies, nesting grounds for the orang utan
Photo: IdeA. 2010

The cultural attraction of the community
around the Tekelan site is located within the
everyday lives that is still traditional in many
ways. They still cling to the traditional cultural
ceremonies including religion based on their
beliefs and many are still living the Rumah
Betang (elongated house), which is an unique
characteristic of the Dayak, both the Dayak Iban
and the Dayak Tamambaloh. Although a part of
the Rumah Betang have used cement and is not
entirely constructed using wood.
The people within the Menua Sadap village
are skillful knitters in traditional fabric and hand
knit traditional shawls. They also craft beads
for accessories, such as necklaces, bracelets,
traditional clothes, handmade rmats and also
carvings. Initially the artistic carvings were a
handicraft passed down by the village’s ancestors.
The result of the knits and the crafting of beads
are generally sold when there is a traditional
ceremony occurring, although in some occasions
it is bought or ordered by visitors. During the
ceremony, they also showcase their traditional
dancing and musical skills. The music that they
are very much proud of is the traditional drums
beating while others howl their traditional tunes.
The traditional handicraft of weaving mats
is becoming rare due to the rarity of its basic
material, bemban. The weaves of the bemban mat
are very rich in motives; often these motives are
based on the local animals and plants.
Gambar 5. Unique rock formations heading and within the Tekelan site
Photo: IdeA. 2010

Gambar 6. Traditional motif hand weaving
Gambar 7. Accessories made from beads
Photo: SS. 2014
Photo: Ben KCL. 2014

Gambar 8. Traditional Handmade Bemban Mats
The cultural attraction of the Menua Sadap
Village that is often presented and adapted into
the ‘tourism calendar’ is the ‘Gawai’ traditional
ceremony conducted one a year as a show of
appreciation towards the hard work for the
year’s good harvest. Other than traditional
ceremonies involving the tribe chief and the
village community, generally people who have
been working away from their village in other
cities (often to Sarawak, Malaysia) come home
to attend the ceremony. The Gawai ceremony
often includes the slaughtering of pigs or boars,
traditional dances, percussion drumming and
traditional Dayaknese food. The slaughtering of
pigs is done by the tribe chief to ‘examine’ the
pig’s liver in order to forecast next year’s harvest.
5.2 Accessibility
In addition to transportation, the accessibility
to the site starts from the city of Pontianak. The
journey from Pontianak to Putussibau (the
capital of the Kapuas Hulu Regency) since 4
(four) years ago can be conducted through land
and air. The trip from Pontianak to Putussibau
(814 km), which takes about 10 hours on land
can now be done in only one hour using a plane.
The flights from Pontianak – Putussibau –
Pontianak which initially only flew twice a week
can be enjoyed everyday.
The next trip from Putussibauu to the hamlet
Sadap (95 km) through a well maintained road
can be completed in 2 – 2,5 hours. Public
transportations are routinely available, such
as motorcycle taxis or small busses heading to
Benua Martinus or Lanjak. Signposts along the
road are clear. However it is not recommended
Gambar 9. A part of the ‘Gawai’ traditional ceremony
Photo: IdeA. 2010

to conduct the trip using a motorcycle during
nighttime, as there are no road lights.
From the Hamlet of Sadap to the Tekelan site,
the journey can only be done through the river,
starting from the dock in Sadap. Navigating
through the Embaloh River (a tributary of the
Kapuas River), we arrive at the intersection of
the Tekelan River and turn towards the Tekelan
River. The trip takes about 3 (three) hours by
a 40 PK speedboat. Although the Tekelan
site has often been visited and has a few river
intersections, signposts heading to Tekelan are
not available.
River access is very dependant to the
condition of the rainfall at the Embaloh River
head and at Tekelan. During the wet season,
the access can be closed off entirely due to the
high rainfall at the riverhead that can cause flash
floods and topple over trees or huge branches,
which is extremely dangerous for speedboats.
In 2010, when the consultants wanted to visit
Tekelan, the high rainfall caused floods in the
Embaloh River and Tekelan submerging the
site. A huge flood from the Kapuas River even
drowned the City of Putussibau.
If the accessibility from Pontianak to the
Hamlet of Sadap increases, the immediate
challenges of developing tourism in Tekelan
and Betung Kerihun National in general is the
imigration access for foreign visitors to receive
Visa on Arrival in the nearest border. For tourits
passing through Malaysia (Sarawak) they must
first head to Jakarta before heading to Pontianak,
Putussibau and Tekelan.
Gambar 10. The road from Puttussibau heading to the village of Menua Sadap and the Embaloh River heading to the Tekelan Site

5.3 The Tourism Facilities
Within the Tekelan site there are toilet
facilities, open air cooking facilities and
hardened concrete for the camping grounds,
which are currently covere in bushes and tall
grass. The water pipes constructed to provide
clean water from the cliff across the river, the
docking area of the speedboat, is no longer
functional. According to information the people
of the Sadap Hamlet constructed these facilities.
During its construction, the community also
built a warehouse to store their tools if anyone
is camping in this particular site.
Gambar 11. Steigher or the speedboat at the Hamlet of Sadap
Gambar 12. The docking area of the speedboat at the Tekelan site
Photo: SS. 2014

In2010,TNBKprovidedafewcampsandlife-
vests in supporting community empowerment
for those who wishes to accompany visitors to
Tekelan. In that year Betung Kerihun National
Park,togetherwithIdeAandPTReliancethrough
their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
helped the procurement of of three tourist boats
to local community organization, Katayot, to be
managed. However only one of the three boats
are available, one is being repaired and the other
is unclear of its management.
Aktivitas lain di Karangan Laboh adalah
camping, animal watching, fishing, dan canoing.
In Karangan Laboh there are trekking tracks up
the hill that currently is being neglected. On the
Gambar 13. The camping grounds covered by overgrown wild bushes
Gambar 14. The condition of the camping grounds taken in 2010
Photo: IdeA. 2010

top of the hill there is viewing tower to view the
Mount Betung.
The people of the village of Menua Sadap
have businesses related to tourism, such as
home-stay, transportation, small restaurants
and food stalls, and handwoven handicrafts.
One of the the home-stay managed by the
Head of the Eco-tourism Organization in the
Hamlet Sadap has one of the rooms for rent
owned in the Rumah Betang (elongated house)
in the hamlet of Sadap. The tranportation that
is used for business rentals are motrocyle and
car taxis and speedboats. The Village of Menua
Sadap records that there are 25 people having
speedboat business rentals and 10 people
have their source of income from handwoven
Gambar 15. Toilet and cooking facilities
Gambar 16. Home-stay that is managed by the Head of the Eco-tourism Organization in the Hamlet Sadap and a House of Souvenirs
supported by WWF
Photo: SS. 2014

Dayaknese handicrafts. There are 10 restaurants
or food stalls that can be seen in the Lanjak
Market (Pasar Lanjak). 1 (one) souvenir shop,
which was iniated by the local community and
guided of its development by theWorldWildlife
Fund (WWF).
5.4 The Local Communities and
their Environment
The population of the Sadap Hamlet (the
hamlet closest to the Tekelan site) is 582 people
with heads of families amounting to 192, most
are farmers (369 people). The remaining, 10
are merchants, three civil servants and other
occupations amounts to 89 people. In village
records, we can still come accross 180 people
within the lower income catogory.
Within the hamlet of Sadap, schools only
go as high as the 3rd grade. With only 2 (two)
available teachers, the children who attend
school are still very minimal. However this low
amount of attendance is not due to the lack of
teachers, but is also due the children’s interest
lacking in attending school. Even the child
of the Hamlet Chief, when interviwed by the
consultant and lived directly across the school
did not want to attend school. Very young girls
often quit school due to having to be married.
The people of the village of Menua Sadap,
specifically the Sadap hamlet, are very receptive
towards the tourism development plans of
Betung Kerihun National Park. The deep desire
of the community to develop Tekelan can be seen
from the facilities that they have constructed in
Tekelan such as the toilets, clean water facilities,
cooking facilities and hardened concrete bases
for camping sites. The hardened bases for the
campsites were built in 2010 by cutting down
a few trees within the site (national park). The
community believed that the trees were outside
the National Park boundaries due to the lack of
clarity of the boundaries.
According to the Village Chief, the
relationship of the Menua Sadap Village with the
villages around it is quite synergetic, especially
in the services given to the visitors and the
provision of transportation services. However
the Head of the Sadap Hamlet has complained
that currently the number of visitors visiting the
Sadap Hamlet in order to use their speedboat
services and purchasing traditional handicrafts
has dwindled. Generally the visitors with their
local escorts head straight to the Tekelan sight
without visiting the Rumah Betang of the Sadap
Hamlet, which has often been done in the past.
Gambar 17. The damaged pumps received from GTZ, Germany

The Head of the Sadap Hamlet admits that
currently Rumah Betang of Sadap Hamlet is
not maintained properly compared to three of
four years ago. Especially since the hamlet has
become a part of a Tourism Village, the general
cleanliness aroun the Rumah Betang has not
been given enough attention although the Head
of the Hamlet has often alerted it.
The availability of clean water has also become
one of the challenges in developing the Sadap
Hamlet as Tourism Hamlet. Organizations such
as the German GTZ have given assistance in the
form of large water pumps for accessing clean
water from the Embaloh River. However the
rapidity of the river and the amount of debris
from trees cannot be accommodated by the
structure of the pump. Due to this the pumps
have become unusable and is left unused in the
Betung Kerihun National Park Sadap Resort
Office.
In regards to the tourism in the area, the
community has conducted a few programs,
such as: courses for traditional dances, culinary
classes and the development of the local waterfall
as a tourism destination in collaboration with
the private sector and the local government.
In 2010, Betung Kerihun National Park in
cooperation wit IdeA conducted a short training
course for the staff of Betung Kerihun National
Park and the community that often escorts the
visitors. The training involves the swiftness
and precision in erecting camps and providing
hygienic meals services in the field with minimal
waste as possible. The Head of the Sadap Hamlet
Ecotourism Organization in his interview
wishes that there are people that are able to
prove training or understandings concerning
eco-tourism. The reason being is that they wish
to obtain information about the different eco-
tourism and tourism and furthermore receive
guidance in the development and management
of eco-toursim in his hamlet.
During the field survey, there currently is
an English language-training course that is
being facilitated by ITTO for the staff of Betung
Kerihun National Park and heald at the Region
I Office of Betung Kerihun National Park in
Mataso. The English training course seems to
attract the interests of children around the office
and with diligence these kids have joined in the
language training course.
Children and residents from the Sadap
Hamlet can also read books from the library
that has been provided by the Region I Office
Betung Kerihun National Park in Mataso. The
library has provided books in order to increase
the knowledge of the National Park’s staff and
the residents around the National Park office.
Gambar 18. The learning atmosphere of the children learning English in the library
Photo: SS. 2014

The books in the library are intended to generate
awareness of the residents of the Sadap Hamlet
and around it, concerning the importance
of TNBK for their environment and their
livelihoods.
Not many of the villagers from Menua
Sadap have been directly involved in the
tourism business. Only a handful of people
have understood the benefits of the tourism
activities, among others the business of renting
transportation specifically speedboats. However
the residents of the Sadap Hamlet have begun
to be aware that the visits from the tourists have
given them additional income aside from their
income of farming in their fields. They are now
able to present traditional dances and welcoming
ceremonies for visitors and also wear traditional
Dayaknese clothes when asked.
The support from the local government
towards tourism in the village of Menua Sadap
has not been maximal. The availability of
electricity, for instance, has not been reliable
because it has not been fully operational. There is
often no electricity in the daytime and during the
night the electricity often dies out. Only lights in
the National Park Region I office and the office
of the Sadap Resort remains lit as they have
solar panels. There are no working telephone
networks and no banks with moneychangers.
Although often there is no Internet connection
but the community has been helped of
their communication services through their
cellphones. Being able to communicate through
their cellphones has helped the National Park
staff and rangers to send new and e-mails when
needed. The post office has also functioned
as a telecommunication office at one of the
sub-district capitals. Public facilities such as a
community hall have not yet been constructed.
The Menua Sadap Village as a Tourism
Village has a local community empowerment
organization known as the Management Team
of the PNPM (National Program on Community
Empowerment) Tourism Activities in Menua
Sadap. The organization was formed based on
the Decree of Village Chief of Sadap dated 25
June 2013 (which was later reviewed on the 25
Mei 2014) and has an organizational structure
to handle issues related to the development of
tourism, such as the equipment, transportation,
food, tourism, guides, security and art and
culture.
With the vision of ‘Transforming the Village
of Menua Sadap towards a developed tourism
village, supported by the conservation of its
nature and culture to improve the welfare
of its people’ the community empowerment
organization of the Village of Menua Sadap has
a mission of:
1. To gain accessibility to the region to support
the service and development from and to
the regency and the preparation of basic
infrastructure.
2. To encourage, support and guide small and
medium businesses by creating people’s
economic organizations.
3. To open investment opportunities by
utilizing and managing the natural resources
potential.

Village Ecotourism Development at Tekelan, Betung Kerihun National Park

Village Ecotourism Development at Tekelan, Betung Kerihun National Park

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